Roderick's Purpose - Ellie St. Clair Page 0,10

time left, she had made a promise to him that she would do as he asked. It would not only finally repay him for taking her in and looking after her all these years, but she would also be free. Perhaps now, despite her failure, there was another way. She knew Doc would hate her for it, but she hoped he would eventually understand her decision.

“He is dying,” she finally said, her gaze down on the roughly hewn table in front of her, as she refused to let any of them see the emotion in her eyes. “He might have a few months, but likely weeks at the most. He has seen a doctor. There is not much that can help him, now. Herbs and medications numb the pain. We need more of them.”

“We can provide them to you if you help us.”

She nodded, resolved now in her decision. Not only would this get her what she wanted but, in a backward, honorable way, it would also solve another problem for her. She had something their former gang wanted, and they would be closing in soon. So what if she gave them up? True, it was going against all they stood for, to give another thief away to the authorities, but she owed them nothing. All they had done was try to strip her of her dignity, to make her into nothing more than a whore. But she had made things even worse when she had taken something from them that was more valuable than any of them could have imagined — and they knew where she was going with it. She had no choice but to be rid of them.

She looked up and caught Roderick’s eye. He gave her a bit of a nod of encouragement, and she forced her gaze away from him. She didn’t rely on him more than she did any other man, and she did not want him to believe she was making the decision based on his encouragement, as much as it did somewhat bolster her resolve.

“Fine. I will give you what you want,” she said, and the sergeant finally allowed himself a smile so slight that she almost missed it. “But I have one other condition.”

The corners of his lips straightened. “And that would be?”

“You must help me return Doc to Scotland,” she said, and she saw the look of surprise on the officers’ faces. “That’s all he wants, to die at home on the lands he loves so much, that he has missed ever since he left. That is what the money I stole was for — to buy us passage back across the ocean.”

“If he is as ill as you say, he might not make the journey alive,” said the sergeant, his face now as grim as ever.

“I know,” she said, trying not to let her emotion show, “but I must try.”

Her adopted father had always been a bastard, she had to admit. He was not a gentle soul, had not cared about the people he stole from, nor those he hurt. And yet, he was still her father. He might not have bothered himself about the feelings of others, but he had always cared for her, even if it was not in the typical way of a parent. She would miss him when he was gone. He had done enough for her that she owed him this last favor.

“We will return in a moment with an answer for you,” the sergeant said and motioned to his men to follow him out of the room. Roderick gave her one last long look, as if he saw through the facade she had presented them but saw no way of proving her lies, before following the rest of them.

Chapter 5

Roderick refused to look at his brother, but he could feel Callum’s stare upon him.

“Roderick,” Callum called to him, but Roderick continued to stoically stew. The girl had made a mockery out of him. He supposed he deserved it, but it smarted nonetheless.

“Roderick,” Callum said again, “what was going on in there?”

He sighed and finally turned to look at his brother. “I am not sure what you are talking about.”

“Whatever was between you and that woman — the thief.”

“Nothing,” he said with a shrug as if there truly was nothing to speak of. “She led me on a merry chase. Wounded my pride, I suppose you could say. What else do ye need to know?”

Callum frowned, his brows coming together. “It seemed there was